What is Faith?

Faith means to understand things properly.
When Jesus was asked by the Syro-Phoenician woman to cast out the devil inside her daughter, Jesus ignores her until the apostles ask Him to send her away.
Jesus tells her it is not good to give the bread (healings) that are for the children (of God) to the dogs (unbelievers). This showed that Jesus was calling both of them dogs. If Jesus had only been talking about the woman's daughter, He would have made His statement singular.
"It is not good to give a dog..." But this is not what He said. He made His statement plural. Thus referring to both of them as dogs.
The woman confesses that she is a non believer to His claim as the Son of God, but sarcastically reminds Him that even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the master's table.
This most likely means that she knew who He was in reality, but was merely telling Him she had her own gods she worshipped and wasn't about to change her mind. Yet she wanted a miracle and she knew He had the power to give her the crumbs.
Jesus gives her the miracle based upon her statement of understanding that even though she did not believe He was the only way to God, she knew he had influence and so she asked for the crumbs. She had great understanding in how things worked. This pleased Jesus enough to give her her miracle.
We see this same thing when Jesus heals the ten lepers. Only one came back to worship Jesus. The other nine were lost. Yet they got their miracle and kept it. They had faith (understanding) enough for their miracle, but did not have saving faith which means to understand who Jesus is and believe that He is the only way to God.
When the centurion comes to Jesus for a healing for his servant, Jesus says He has not found such great faith not even in Israel. But what is Jesus actually saying?
The centurion had told Jesus that he also was a man of authority and if he told this one to come, he came. If he told that one to go, he went. This told Jesus that this was a man of great understanding. This centurion understood how things worked which pleased Jesus. Jesus gave him his request.
Faith doesn't mean to believe. It means to have correct understanding of things. We can see this by the examples in the Word of God. At the end of time many will ask Jesus, "Did we not cast out devils in your name and work many mighty miracles in Your name?" Jesus will tell them, "I never knew you."
These had enough understanding to know Jesus' name had power, but they had no real relationship with Him, nor did they allow Him to rule their lives.
They had faith, they just did not have saving faith.
Jesus Villalobos
http://www.timefortruth.webs.com